SEARSPORT— Apple crisp, cider and enthusiasm for the creative economy was on the docket Monday night, November 12, for the Belfast Creative Coalition, which organized a public information gathering event at the Mermaid Plaza in Searsport.

“We’re hosting these community events as a way to get feedback from the people who live here on a cultural plan we’re developing for Waldo county,” said Larraine Brown, Director of Belfast Creative Coalition. “We’ve got an economic tool to develop the creative economy and to support and appreciate the artists who live and work here.”

The goal, according to BCC, is to create the Waldo County Arts and Cultural Plan, with an inclusive study to:

1) Get an inventory of existing resources:

2) Get feedback from residents on their arts and cultural preferences;

3) use public meetings to identify local priorities; and,

4) Develop a plan that addresses those local priorities.

“The end result of meetings like this [is that] we will have a plan that identifies what the people in both the town and surrounding rural areas want,” Brown said. “We have a lot of wonderful things that are happening in the art and cultural scene, but we also want to know from people what else they want to see happen here.”

While a young man, Jonah Palumbo, 11, played violin, residents from Waldo County gathered in the back room of the former Mermaid Restaurant and Pub to watch a presentation and share their opinions in a survey.

Next Monday, November 19,  the BCC, will once again, host a Cultural Planning community event at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast from 4:30 to 7 p.m. to gain input from the residents. For more information visit: Hutchinson Center. “We’ll have a little bit of arts and performance to kick it off,” said Brown.

For more information about the Cultural Planning process visit: www.belfastcreativecoaltion.org

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com